Financed by UNFPA Georgia Country Office and the European Neighbourhood Programme for Agriculture and Rural Development (ENPARD), the Akhalkalaki Local Action Group, National Parliamentary Library of Georgia and the Department of Rural Development and Vocational Education of the Georgian Institute of Public Affairs joined forces to mark the international campaign “16 days of Activism against Gender-based Violence” in Akhalkalaki along with other cities and municipalities of Georgia.
There was an exhibition of a photographer Dina Oganova opened at the public school #3 in Akhalkalaki on December 7th 2019, showcasing two photo projects: “Girls from the Future” and “Peers for Equality”. The photo project “Girls from the Future” combines photos with texts to tell stories of girls aged 10 to 16 living in various cities and villages of Georgia. The project aims to emphasize to the public that unlocking full potential of girls, creating equal conditions and equitable environment for them, and providing access to education and healthcare is crucial for the development and prosperity of every country; that every girl should have an opportunity to complete her studies and make informed decisions about her life and health. The project “Peers for Equality” is comprised of stories of 12 young people. Within the frameworks of the photo project, they are talking about the gender equality, healthy lifestyle, reproductive health, education, activism and their own initiatives. Both proto projects were made possible with the support of UNFPA Georgia Country Office, and it is a part of a large-scale advocacy work, which UNFPA is carrying out for eliminating the harmful practice of early marriage and promoting reproductive health and rights of adolescents and young people.
There was an Equality Corner opened in the library of the same school, in cooperation with UNFPA Georgia Country Office and the National Parliamentary Library of Georgia. The Equality Corner will enable the adolescents and young people residing in Akhalkalaki to raise their awareness on equality with the help of contemporary fiction. Giorgi Kekelidze, a writer and a director of the National Library of Georgia, opened the Equality Corner. Within the framework of the event, he delivered a public lecture and talked about the idea of gender equality and its importance.
Opening the Equality Corner aims at supporting the realization of potential of adolescents and youth. Authors of the initiative consider that it is of utmost importance to have as much space as possible in Georgia, where the adolescents and the youth will be able to get informal education, enjoy meaningful free time and share ideas among themselves.
Within the framework of the event, Nana Kashakashvili, head of the Department of Rural Development and Vocational Education of the Georgian Institute of Public Affairs awarded certificates to the training center’s graduates of the Georgian language and special painting course. The training center was founded at the Local Action Group of Akhalkalaki, with the funding of ENPARD, and its goal is to improve social integration in regard to education, culture, youth and gender equality issues. This also enabled the local population to visit the exhibition of graduates of the training course in special drawing.
The event was attended by the representatives of UNFPA, local government bodies, Akhalkalaki LAG, GIPA and National library. The event was held within the framework of the global campaign “16 days of Activism against Gender-based Violence”.
